Chrysanthemums
by kynigos
Summary: "Come... Come and lose yourself to insanity! Let it slowly devour you until nothing is left..." A visit to an Art Gallery goes horribly wrong. Now, Lightning and Caius are gradually being swallowed by madness. Will they ever wake up from this never-ending nightmare? -Caius x Lightning- AU


**'Chrysanthemums**'

— _murasaki no chou_

Summary: _"Come... Come and lose yourself to insanity! Let it slowly devour you until nothing is left..."_ A visit to an Art Gallery goes horribly wrong. Now, Lightning and Caius are gradually being swallowed by madness. Will they ever wake up from this never-ending nightmare?

Disclaimer: I don't own _Final Fantasy XIII-2_ and _Ib_; they rightfully belong to their respective owners—Square Enix and kouri.

* * *

"Be a good girl now, Vanille," a woman in her mid-twenties gently uttered, kneeling down to match her daughter's height. "Don't give Aunt Lightning any trouble, got it?"

"Okay, mummy!" a cheerful girl not older than seven with bright red hair tied back in curled pigtails responded. She flashed her mother a huge smile, striking green eyes sparkling with innocence.

Vanille's mother who goes by the name Oerba Yun Fang patted the young girl's head affectionately before rising from her position. Fang, unlike her daughter, has wavy dark-brown hair with red tips that falls just below her shoulder and bronze skin which contrasts with Vanille's pale complexion; the only thing they have in common in terms of appearance is their green eyes. Fang was also tall, standing at five foot nine, Vanille barely reached her waist.

Fang was clad in female Guardian Corps uniform, which consisted of a long-sleeved white overcoat that was rolled up her elbows over a brown turtleneck shirt zipped up to the top, a blue metallic pauldron over her left shoulder with two green stripes symbolising her rank in the military, a short black skirt and black knee-high leather boots. A red spear which she calls "Bladed Lance" was clutched tightly in her right hand.

Fang turned to an impatient-looking pink-haired woman who had her arms crossed above her chest and grinned at her. She received an icy glare in return.

"Take care of Vanille for me, will ya?" the dark-haired woman uttered, tilting her head to one side.

"Right," the pink-haired woman named Claire Farron, who goes by the alias 'Lightning' for certain reasons, muttered with a nod, gently grasping the aforementioned little girl's hand in hers the moment Vanille approached the older lady.

"Then, I'll be off now." Fang began to walk away, raising her free hand to wave goodbye at her friend and daughter. "See ya later, Vanille. Have a good time with Aunt Light and Serah, okay?"

"M'kay!" Vanilled beamed, waving back at the retreating figure of Fang whilst saying 'goodbye'. She then diverted her attention to the little girl who had been standing silently beside Lightning and gleefully skipped towards her.

"We're gonna have lots of fun today! Don't you think so, Serah?" Vanille took the said child's hands in hers, smiling widely.

"Un!" Serah nodded excitedly, her dark-blue eyes gleeming in enthusiasm. Like her older sister, Lightning, Serah had shoulder-length pink hair tied into a ponytail on the left side of her hair, much like how the older drapes it over her left shoulder. Serah was wearing a cute blue sundress that matched her eyes and white sandals with flowers adorning the sides.

Vanille almost had the same outfit except her sundress was red with heart prints all over and black sandals; an adorable bracelet with the image of a Chocobo adorned her right wrist.

"Ready to go?" Lightning, who had been silently watching the children's exchange, finally spoke up, immediately grabbing their attention. Both girls exclaimed their approval, each holding the adult's hand as they started walking to their destination.

Along the way, the two girls chatted amongst themselves. Vanille went on how interesting and slightly creepy the place they were going to was. The trio were headed to an Art Gallery which was currently showcasing the works of Guertena, a famous Italian artist during the Renaissance period. Their class had a field trip to the exhibition some time ago, but Serah had been unable to come due to a high fever.

Lightning felt bad seeing as how Serah was so thrilled on going, then ended up getting sick on the day. So, she had asked her superior, Lt. Amodar, for a day off which the former happily complied, and planned to take her sister to the Art Gallery the following week, inviting Serah's best friend, Vanille, along in hopes of cheering her up.

As the trio walked, the pink-haired woman noted how incredibly warm it was, today. The sun was high up and little clouds were visible in the sky. She knew how hot it could be in Bodhum during Summer, reaching about forty-six degrees Celsius. It wouldn't be surprising to see a person passed out in the streets... Lightning was quite used to the heat for she patrolled the city in rather heavy clothing that was the Guardian Corps' uniform, every day.

Today, though, she was dressed in a simple sleeveless cream-coloured t-shirt, short black trousers and black sandals; her long, pink hair was draped over her left shoulder.

Lightning looked around, noticing how deserted the street seemed—all was quiet except for the occasional chirping of birds and cars passing by. The detached houses on either side of the road appeared empty. She deduced that the majority of Bodhum's citizens were at the beach, cooling themselves with the pristine clear water or sunbathing.

After a few minutes of walking, they finally reached their destination. The Bodhum Art Gallery wasn't huge and magnificent like the others tend to be; instead, it looked like an ordinary building what with the greying white walls and small windows. One wouldn't have guessed that this gallery currently holds a famous artist's artwork if not for the banners indicating this.

Lightning opened the door, ushering the children inside before going in after them. "Well, here we are. Come on, let's go to the reception desk," she uttered whilst the two kids followed her.

"Um... Light? Can we go on ahead?" Serah timidly asked, pulling the hem of her older sister's shirt. She peered at Lightning behind her pink fringes, her eyes pleading that she comply.

Lightning was about to protest when Vanille interjected, "Please, Aunt Light? I've been here before so I can show Serah around! We won't get lost, I promise! So... Please? Please? _Please?_" Vanille gave the adult her famous 'puppy dog eyes' accompanied with a pout.

Seeing two incredibly adorable children give her the same look, Lightning heaved out a heavy sigh, frowning because she was at disadvantage. "Well... Okay." When Vanille and Serah began to cheer, Lightning quickly added, "**But** we're going to see the exhibition together as soon as I pay for the entrance fees, got it?"

The girls nodded, smiling broadly and hugging Lightning tightly around the waist. "Yay! Thank you!"

The side of Lightning's mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly. She patted the top of their heads gently and said, "Don't cause any trouble for the visitors now, okay? Make sure you two are quiet in the gallery."

"We will!" the kids promised as they sprinted inside the gallery.

Lightning hoped they kept their promise.

* * *

"They have tons of really, really good stuff in here!" Vanille exclaimed, making motions with her arms to further exaggerate her words. "There are lots of nice paintings, but most of them are weird. Ooh! You should see the rose-thingy. It's really pretty!"

Serah nodded, listening to her best friend go on about the different artworks she had seen. She became a little worried though; the Art Gallery wasn't that big, sure, but what if they get lost and Lightning couldn't find them? The mere thought was terrifying. Also...

"—creepy-looking dolls! They **don't** have heads! I think they were called 'manicures' or something like that! I don't really—"

... Vanille was starting to attract the attention of the other visitors. They shot her an annoyed glance, telling her to keep it down which the little girl was oblivious of.

Serah could feel her cheeks burning out of embarrassment. She gave the visitors an apologetic look while trying to get her friend's attention, "V—Vanille. I think you should quiet down a bit... We're distracting the others."

Vanille's eyes widened at the realisation, quickly clamping her hands over her mouth. She flashed Serah a nervous smile, muttering a "sorry" and bowed her head in shame. How could she have forgotten her promise to Lightning? She's going to get in trouble and Vanille didn't really like seeing Aunt Light mad. She was scary!

The two of them looked at the artworks in silence with the occasional inputs of the bright red-haired girl. Serah found some of them creepy as Vanille had said, especially the big painting of a fish on the ground, and remotely interesting at the same time. What she did like the most thus far was the sculpture of a red rose. It looked so real and beautiful that Serah wanted to touch the petals like the little boy who eventually got scolded by the guards for attempting to do so. The sculpture was twice the size of the pink-haired child, glossy as if covered in morning dew.

When they have seen most of the artwork at the ground floor, Vanille suggested they go upstairs where there were more. Serah was hesitant because it seemed like Lightning wanted to see the exhibition with them and it wouldn't be fair on her if they just went off to see the rest.

However, after so much pestering from Vanille, Serah finally complied albeit warily. They went back to the entrance, locating the stairs near the reception desk where their adult companion stood, impatiently tapping her foot on the ground. _I'm sorry, Light_, she thought forlornly, looking at her older sister who had her arms crossed above her chest, listening to the man list the activities available in the Art Gallery with a hint of irritation. She glanced at Lightning one last time before following her bubbly friend up the flight of stairs.

Unbeknownst to the young girl, Lightning saw her and smiled slightly at how crestfallen her she looked. It would seem that Serah wanted to see the whole exhibition with her, too. Unfortunately, she had to stand in front of the desk, waiting for the man to stop talking and give her receipt all ready.

_Just give me my damn receipt and ticket, and I'll be on my way_, Lightning inwardly growled, throwing the rather buoyant man a very hard glare. _If only I had my gunblade..._

* * *

A man with long, purple hair adorned with feathers and tribal beads stood in before a rather **unsettling** painting, face devoid of any emotion. He adjusted his purple and black headband, sighing and fighting back a yawn. Purple eyes darted to the small figure beside him who stared at the painting with interest, completely enamoured by it. The man smiled softly, "Do you like it, Yuel?"

Yuel, a girl with waist-length silvery-purple hair no older than six, looked up at the man with a smile. "I do!" she exclaimed, trying to reach up to touch the painting. However, she was too short thus her hands could only reach the bottom of the frame.

The man who was known as Caius Ballad saw this and picked the child up. Yuel sat on his right arm, encircling her lithe arms around his neck and beaming at him. She pecked his cheek to show her gratitude and he simply smiled at the gesture.

Yuel extended her arms, feeling the rough exterior of the canvas and dried paint. She retracted them slightly, quite taken aback by its texture. Yuel figured it would feel as smooth and soft as how the painting looks like, but it didn't seem to be the case.

The little girl glanced at Caius with a baffled expression. "Why does the kitty feel bumpy, Daddy?" she asked in a soft voice, tilting her head to one side and placing her index finger against her mouth. Yuel's eyebrows met and a frown became visible which showed her confusion.

Caius tried to think of a simple answer for the little girl. Surely, he couldn't go into too much detail which would undoubtedly confuse the six-year-old further. Instead, he settled on saying, "Perhaps it was dried paint. Perhaps it was the quality of the canvas." Either way, Caius was not an Art student; heck, he barely knew anything about art! However, he was too proud to admit that.

"Oh," Yuel muttered, staring blankly in his purple eyes with her own. Nevertheless, she just shrugged and politely asked him to put her down which Caius obliged.

As soon as she was on the ground, Yuel straightened her white dress with a small crystal on her chest that reached just below her knees. She grabbed Caius' hand and pulled him to the next painting that caught her eye.

Several minutes passed since then, and Yuel began to feel uneasy. She asked her father where the toilet was and he told her its exact location—or so he hoped, since he didn't really know either. He offered to take her there, but she declined, telling him that he couldn't go inside the **female**'s toilet even if he wanted to and promised that she would be back as soon as possible. Needless to say, Caius reluctantly agreed.

He watched her slowly disappearing form and, somehow, in the back of his mind, he felt something was amiss.

* * *

True to her word, Serah found more of Guertena's artwork upstairs. There were more sculptures in this floor than the ground floor, granted the rose sculpture being the only one. The young Farron was mesmerised, approaching each and every astounding piece with captivity. Serah wished she could see them with Lightning though, but shook her head and told herself that she was just downstairs, ready to catch up with them at any time.

Vanille pulled Serah by the arm towards the three 'creepy' dolls and said, "This is what I was talking about earlier! Don't you think they look creepy, Serah?" Vanille pointed at all the dolls and puffed her cheeks when the pink-haired girl didn't agree immediately.

Truth be told, Serah did find them a little... unsettling. Three black mannequins dressed in different coloured outfits—blue, yellow and red—arranged in a triangle gave off a rather perplexing feeling. There was just something about them that bothered her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

Serah read the rectangular golden plate, "_Death of the Individual_." She turned to her green-eyed friend who was awaiting her confirmation and nodded, "It is creepy, Vanille. I don't like it but, at the same time, I... like it."

"You **what**?!" Vanille nearly screamed, attracting several people's attentions. Both she and Serah clamped their hands over her mouth and looked around, sweatdropping and blushing.

"Don't shout, Vanille! Remember what my sis said!" Serah scolded lightly, pouting.

"Sorry!" squeaked Vanille, clasping her hands together in prayer. "But how could you **like** these 'manicures'?"

"They are 'mannequins', my dear," an amused old woman corrected.

"Manne—Whatever!" The little girl puffed her cheeks, muttering mostly to herself, "_I can't even say it properly._"

"Mannequins?" inquired Serah, staring at the elder woman in curiosity. She knew it was dangerous to talk to strangers; Lightning warned her about them countless times, but she felt the need to understand more about these headless dolls.

The old woman nodded with a smile, "They are headless statues, usually used to showcase outfits. You see them in clothes shops: people dress them up to highlight their newest attire. But they have heads so they wouldn't scare others."

Serah blinked, processing the information in her head. When she fully understood, she flashed the elder a timid grin and said, "Thank you!"

The elder kindly replied, "You're welcome."

Serah was about to direct Vanille somewhere when a thought occurred to her. She glanced at the elder once more and questioned, "Why is it called '_Death of the Individual_'?"

The elder woman's eyes glazed over, her voice soft—almost like a whisper, "Because... everything comes to an end, my dear. Nothing is ever permanent."

Thinking it was time to move on, Serah thanked the stranger once more but the elder didn't seem to have heard her. She pulled Vanille along who magically returned to her normal, energetic self and directed the young Farron around.

* * *

Yuel closed the door to the toilet behind her carefully so she wouldn't disturb any of the visitors. She looked left and right, deciding where to go. Somehow, the Art Gallery... changed. Yuel didn't know why but she got the feeling the place **just changed**.

After much contemplation, the young girl chose to walk around in hopes of bumping into her father.

It was stupid, she told herself, how she forgot the way back to Caius. Yuel had a photographic memory so it shouldn't have been a problem, but... Really, what had changed about this place? There was definitely something—**something**—but she couldn't lay a finger on what it was.

Shrugging it off, the child came across a huge painting. _Weird_, Yuel thought, eyebrows furrowing,_ I could have sworn Daddy and I saw all the paintings_. How could they have missed it when it was gigantic? It had a hallway dedicated to itself! The painting stretched from one end to the other!

Yuel took a closer look, approaching the art piece warily. The painting showed off the entrance of the gallery, with an attractive, angry pink-haired lady and an oblivious man. The reception desk was there, and there were pamphlets as well. There were people passing by, and—**the whole thing was just accurate**. It was so accurate that it looked like a photograph which scared Yuel a little. It was nothing like Guertena's other works. This one was too** realistic**.

The young Ballad spotted the golden plate where the name of the piece was written and was about to read it when, suddenly, a body collided with her.

"Ah!" Both Yuel and the stranger were knocked off their feet, falling shortly on their behind with a loud '_thump!_'. Yuel rubbed her sore backside, frowning and grunting as she felt the stinging pain.

"Oh no! Are you okay?" a new voice exclaimed, scurrying towards the fallen purple-haired girl. Yuel looked up to see a young girl, which she deduced was no older than her, with pink hair and blue eyes, stretching one of their arms to help her up. Yuel took the unknown girl's hand in gratitude then proceeded to dust her white dress off of imaginary dirt.

"Owie!" another exclaimed but this time in pain. Yuel looked behind the pink-haired girl and saw another little girl about her age with orange-coloured hair—or so it appeared like it to her—and a pair of green eyes.

Said girl pouted and sent a mock glare towards the direction of her companion before hoisting herself from the ground, which was countered with the pink-haired's roll of her eyes.

Orange, Yuel decided to dub her, made her way towards her. She smiled sheepishly at Yuel, clutching her hands behind her back. "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't see you!" 'Orange' apologised sincerely, feeling nervous that she might have injured the silent young woman. "I—I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?"

"No," Yuel shook her head, "It's fine. I'm not hurting anywhere."

'Orange' breathed a sigh of relief, flashing Yuel a bright smile: "Oh! I'm Vanille! Oerba Dia Vanille! And this—" she gestured towards her friend.

"My name is Serah Farron," the pink one cheerfully uttered. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Yuel nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm Paddra Ballad Nsu-Yuel. You can call me 'Yuel', if you like."

"Yuel..." Vanille repeated after her newfound friend, testing the way the name rolled off her tongue. "You have a very pretty name! I like it!" Vanille giggled, skipping towards the purple-haired female and holding her hand in hers then shaking it.

"Thanks...?" Yuel muttered slowly, uncertain how to respond to a compliment like that. Nobody had really complimented her name before; most of her classmates found it weird and too lengthy, so they settled in calling her 'that quiet girl'.

Suddenly, they heard a loud gasp from beside them and they saw Serah staring at the painting in both shock and wonder. "This is... W—What is my sister doing in this painting?" she thought aloud, examining the painting decorated with a unique golden frame. "How did Light—? I... I..."

"Oh my gosh, it **is** Aunt Light! And there's the man who wouldn't stop talking at the front desk!" exclaimed a bewildered Vanille, letting go of Yuel's hand and standing beside her best friend. Vanille reached out her hand to touch the canvas but decided against it until the very last minute.

Yuel didn't really know the woman in the painting but her two companions did. She stood on the left side of Serah and read the title, "_? World_."

Both Serah and Vanille diverted their attention from the piece in front of them to the little girl, humming a question. They followed her gaze and tried to read the title as well without any luck.

"F—Fa... bri... What?" Vanille muttered, frowning when she couldn't decipher the strange word.

"I don't know that word, too," Serah sighed sadly. "It's too—I don't know. Maybe Light can help us?"

"Maybe..." Just as Vanille uttered that single word, the light flickered causing all three girls to jump back in fright. All of them looked around and found no one which scared them even more. Without their knowing, the three of them huddled closer to each other, grasping each other's hands tightly.

"M—Maybe we should check the other places...? I—I want to find my dad..." suggested a frightened Yuel, encircling her arms around Serah's and gently tugging it.

"I want to find my sister too," Serah slowly said, agreeing with Yuel's suggestion. She glanced at Vanille who shared the same perturbed expression as the other two.

Slowly, the three girls walked out of the hallway, hoping to find someone—**anyone**, really. It was eerily quiet around the place; the only sound they hear were their soft footsteps and slightly hitched breathing. As soon as they got out of the hallway, they were greeted with an empty room; a room completely barren of people and only Guertena's artwork remained.

Yuel began to shake uncontrollably; she was in the verge of tears. She wanted Caius; she **wanted** her **father**. Where was he? "Daddy..." Yuel choked out, fresh tears pooling up her eyes and cascading down her pale cheeks. "Daddy..." Yuel sniffed, holding onto Serah's arm tighter.

At the same moment, Serah felt like crying too. She regretted going on ahead and not waiting for Lightning. If Lightning were here, Serah wouldn't be so scared. Lightning would protect her like she always did and she would tell her that everything would be all right. But...

... She wasn't there with them.

However, that didn't mean Serah should give up so easily without even trying!

Serah exchanged looks with Vanille who looked equally serious before turning their attention to their crying friend. "Hey," Serah gently said, nudging her lightly on the shoulders, "it's going to be okay. We'll find your daddy, okay? So, please don't cry."

"Yup! Crying does not suit your cute face, Yuel! So, smile? For us?" Vanille added, attempting to sound cheerful despite the fear gnawing her inside. "Like Serah said, we'll help you find your daddy!"

Yuel's crying subsided; she stared at them through tearful eyes and asked in a raspy voice, "Y—You will?"

Vanille and Serah's eyes softened and they casted her a smile, "We will. We promise." To comfort the disheartened girl, both Serah and Vanille enveloped Yuel in a warm hug, murmuring comforting words—words that were often uttered by their respective loved ones.

A couple of minutes had passed but none of the girls really cared. Eventually, they loosened their embrace against each other and shared a determined glance, believing that they would find their guardians.

The three of them started on their journey, holding hands so as not to be separated from one another. Yuel was in the middle—the other two insisted on it—while Serah was to her left and Vanille was to her right. They reached the staircase and descended from it, fully sure that no one else was in that floor anymore.

They took careful steps, hearts beating frantically that they feared it might burst out of their chest. As soon as they reached the bottom, Serah wished that Lightning was there. Much to her dismay, her older sister wasn't there—or anyone, for that matter. Even the entrance was completely empty.

Seeing Serah's crestfallen face, Vanille attempted to cheer her up. "We haven't checked the other rooms! Maybe Aunt Light is going around, trying to find us!"

"Un," the pink-haired responded without much of a thought. She acknowledged Vanille's efforts in cheering her up, but Serah knew at the back of her mind, like the other two, that the Art Gallery was completely devoid of people aside from them. Besides, if Lightning was really looking for them, she would have been calling out their names, regardless if they were in a supposedly quiet place.

Nevertheless, the trio proceeded to check the other rooms. They huddled closer to each other when they passed the gigantic painting of a fish on the ground, fearing that it might attack them. Everything they found nice to look at earlier now seemed so eerie; they were no longer enjoying themselves; they were no longer looking at magnificent pieces of art.

They were now looking at a looming nightmare.

After a while of futile search, the trio returned to the entrance, more distressed than ever. They hadn't found anyone, although they kept on hearing unsettling noises as they passed by several paintings which sent them over the edge ("Did '_The Coughing Man_' just coughed?!" Vanille had shrieked, almost jumping on top of poor Yuel.)

"Why don't we go outside? We never really tried going out," Vanille suggested, silently praying that the doors were open. She didn't know what she would do if the doors turned out to be close... Vanille bit her lower lip, fighting back the tears and putting on a cheerful facade.

_No, I need to be strong for the three of us!_ Vanille concluded, determined to get all of them out of the haunted Art Gallery safely. _Besides, Aunt Light might be outside, waiting for us!_ However, knowing her aunt's personality, it was unlikely to find Lightning just **waiting** for them outside while her baby sister and niece were trapped inside the hellhole. She would be frantically searching for them, praying for their safety, and she wouldn't stop until she finds them.

Yuel approached the doors, following Vanille's suggestion. Tiny hands wrapped around the handle and tugged it with force—with no such luck. "Huh?" Yuel muttered in surprise, trying once more. However, try as hard as she might, the door wouldn't budge.

The silvery-purple-haired child turned to her companions with fear. The door was locked. They were trapped in. They would never be able to get out. They were doomed.

"T—This is hopeless," Yuel collapsed to her knees, fresh tears pooling her eyes once more. She planted her hands on the tiled floor and began to weep, "W—We'll never get out. I... I—I won't see Daddy ever again."

Serah felt her heart contract at the sight of the helpless girl. She advanced towards Yuel, kneeling down beside her and once more enveloping the child in a hug. Serah wanted to cry alongside Yuel, but what would that do? Crying wouldn't help them get out of the situation they were in. As a matter of fact, wallowing in despair would only make them even more miserable.

Vanille couldn't bear to watch her friends in anguish. She needed to do something; figure out a way to escape. Vanille took a close look at the windows beside the door: they didn't seem locked, so she attempted to open the first one—pushing or pulling didn't work and it stayed closed.

_Well, then, I guess the second one ought to do the trick!_ With those words in mind, Vanille went to stand in front of the other window, hands outstretched and about to touch it when, suddenly, a red liquid leaked from the outside.

Vanille shrieked in horror, falling on her behind and shaking uncontrollably. "No, no, **no**!" she screamed, backing up as fast as she could until her back met the wall. Her eyes were wide with fear, mouth agape and sweat cascading from her forehead. Vanille was crying now, unable to stop herself any longer. All these insanity... No matter how hard she tried to ignore the terror, it would always be there.

Just then, Vanille heard an ear-piercing scream and turned to see the source to find Serah and Yuel staring into the darkness in trepidation. However, they weren't really staring into the darkness; they were staring right into a dark figure near them.

Vanille couldn't visualise it clearly through tear-stained eyes, her vision was blurry, but she had been able to spot some movement getting closer to the children. As soon as the looming figure got close to them, all three let out a terrified scream.

Then never-ending darkness overwhelmed them.

* * *

"Serah!" Lightning's body suddenly jerked as though she had been electrocuted, her cool blue eyes darting around the area. She heard her sister scream loud and clear accompanied with Vanille's. This was starting to worry her.

Taking in her surroundings, Lightning noticed that there were two bloodstains on the floor—one bigger than another. There was a trail of blood, going to the upper floor of the building; the metallic stench invaded her nose and flipped her stomach ever-so-slightly. She was **supposed** to be used to seeing and smelling blood since she was, after all, working in the military, always slaying the unfortunate monsters who wandered off near Bodhum. However it would appear that the sight and stench repulsed her. As a matter of fact, Lightning was utterly horrified. She turned to what she assumed to be the worthless manager and saw that he didn't seem to have noticed: he was still blubbering gibberish.

_Can he really not notice it at all?_ Lightning thought in irritation, clenching her hands tightly that her nails dug into her palm. She didn't understand how someone could **not** notice something so... gruesome a few feet away from them! Unless...

Lightning gulped, eyebrows knitting in concentration and as strode towards the oblivious man whilst keeping her gaze on him. When she was right beside him, the light flickered for a few seconds and she could have sworn his form dissolved into something else during that period of time...

_Only one way to find out_, Lightning thought, extending her hand and slashing through the image. _I knew it,_ she made a clicking sound with her tongue. _No wonder I got this uneasy feeling after seeing Serah and Vanille move upstairs. Which means..._

"Serah! Vanille!" Lightning called out to them once more only to be greeted with silence. The 'man' or whatever he was didn't even tell her off; he was completely ignorant. Lightning felt her heart sank as she put two pieces together: the blood and the kids' lack of response.

Quickly glaring heatedly at the 'man', Lightning began to run—rules be damned. How could she have been so stupid? She shouldn't have let the kids run off on their own! Even if this **was** an Art Gallery, that didn't mean this place was one-hundred percent safe!

Climbing up the stairs two steps at a time, Lightning's heart beat wildly against her chest. Her teeth clenched, eyes dancing all over the place as she examined the surroundings as soon as she reached the top. 'People' glanced at her weirdly, but she thought nothing of it. Lightning disregarded the possibility they found her intimidating with the scowl on her face or, perhaps, a madwoman for frantically running around. In any case, she knew they weren't real and that they were merely illusions.

Going around a corner, Lightning crashed into someone but, because she had fast reflexes, she was able to maintain her balance—and the stranger would seem so too. Looking up and glaring at the long-haired man—or was it a woman?—Lightning ignored the person and continued on her search for the lost kids, all the while calling out their names in hopes of hearing them respond.

* * *

Meanwhile, Caius glanced at the woman from above his shoulder, eyes narrowing into slits as he harrumphed. People these days were so rude; they wouldn't even bother apologizing for bumping into others. Although, she did make him a little curious. Was she a single parent, looking for her children or had she merely gone insane?

_Either way_, Caius shook his head, _I shouldn't get involved in other's affairs. _Besides, he was currently searching for his daughter which was far more important than sticking his nose in another's business. _Not like I would, anyway_, Caius snorted.

He exited the small corridor and spotted a man with short, brown hair wearing a long-sleeved grey t-shirt, a pair of jeans and black shoes, staring intently at a painting of a young woman covered in red. Caius decided to ask him, "Pardon me. Have you seen a young girl wearing a white dress about four foot two tall pass by?"

The man didn't respond. Raising a brow at his rudeness, Caius turned tail about to ask someone else when the same young man began talking in a monotonous voice, "What a beautiful woman... But I wonder if she was someone real? They say Guertena didn't typically paint any real people. But there's always a chance, you know? This girl could be out there, somewhere... Wow!"

_Yeah, probably rotting underneath the ground. _Caius grunted, displeased by the answer he got. He frowned deeply, trying to ask him again when he was given the exact same response, as though the man was a robot.

Raising an eyebrow at the oddity, Caius dared himself to lay a hand on the stranger's shoulder. To his great surprise, his hand just went through the body. _A projector?_ Caius thought, slightly perplexed. He scanned the area and realised just how eccentric the visitors were acting.

Wanting to make sure he just wasn't making a mistake, Caius strolled over to a nearby elderly couple and swung his right arm gently—only to come in contact with thin air. The image of an elderly couple became blurry before their image came into focus once more. Taken aback, a frown resurfaced Caius' features. _If everyone is like this that means_—

"Yuel," Caius muttered, eyes widening as the seconds ticked by. "Yuel!" he exclaimed, whipping his head in every direction before bursting into a run. He was deeply worried about his daughter's wellbeing. Knowing how frail his daughter was, Caius ran faster, determined to find her as quickly as possible. He needed to get her out of this place, **now**. It wouldn't do her condition any good.

Rounding off a corner, Caius collided with someone for the umpteenth time that day. However, this time, he and the stranger were both knocked off their feet, landing painfully on their derrière.

"Tch, not again," Caius heard an exasperated feminine voice utter, looking up to see the same woman from earlier. He watched her arise to her feet and straighten her shirt. Catching himself staring, the purple-haired man stood up, dusting imaginary dust from his black trousers and leather jacket.

Caius opened his mouth, about to ask what her problem was when he heard her gasp. He sneaked a glance at her face and, to his utter astonishment, he found fear and grief dancing in her crystal blue eyes.

"No..." Lightning murmured, voice cracking. "No..." She eyed the painting in front of her, unable to look away. "**Serah! Vanille!**" Lightning slammed her palms against the smooth canvas, gritting her teeth in frustration and anger. "**No!**"

Caius followed her gaze and instantly regretted it. In front of them, a huge painting that stretched from one end of the hallway to the other outlined by an intricate golden frame was plastered against the wall. While the size was impressive, the picture it carried was anything but pleasant.

Three little girls covered in blood greeted him. A bright red-haired girl with green eyes was hung from the ceiling, huge gaping wounds covered her whole body, staining her pale-white skin and red dress with a dark shade of crimson. She was also missing an arm, which Caius later located on the opposite side of the girl.

Ripping his gaze from the stomach-churning sight, Caius was greeted with a more appalling monstrosity. A pink-haired girl with wide, bloodshot eyes stared into oblivion. A long, rusty sword was pierced through one of her ears and the end came out of her cheek. Nails were hammered everywhere on her face, not even her eyes were spared. The girl, whom Caius assumed to be the child of the woman standing to his right, was missing a body. She looked like she was atrociously tormented before finally getting brutally murdered.

Caius averted his gaze, feeling incredibly ill from witnessing such horror. Who would **paint** something as ruthless as this? Better yet, did someone really paint this at all? Something so vivid and brutal about innocent, little children?

Then again, this so-called 'painting' didn't seem to have been painted a long time ago at all if the woman beside him knew those kids.

Caius noticed that there were three of them in the picture, but he felt that if he looked at the third child, he would regret it. Regardless, it was better to know more than to stay ignorant.

Even though ignorance was bliss.

Bracing himself, Caius slowly directed his gaze to the third girl and when he saw the child, he stopped breathing. "No, it can't be. **No**," Caius refused to believe what he saw. He blinked numerous times, praying that his eyes were merely playing tricks on him.

Alas, it wasn't.

The third and final girl on the picture was none other than Yuel. Like the other two, Yuel suffered the same ill fate, albeit more fortunate than the pink-haired. Countless spikes pierced her lithe body from the ground, suspending her in mid-air. Yuel's back was hunched backwards, blood smearing the nasty spikes and dark ground. Her eyes were glazed over; face tear-stained from crying. An indescribable blue demon was happily munching parts of her face.

Caius' heart constricted painfully in his chest, hatred flashing in his purple orbs. Whoever did this was going to **pay**! He or she would suffer a sweet, sweet death. Caius would never forgive them. **Never**. He swore with his life that he would avenge Yuel and he wouldn't stop until he had done so!

Stealing a glance at the stranger accompanying him, he found that she was also staring at him with unfathomable eyes. She appeared to have sworn the same oath as he did, resolution evident in those eyes.

As if they were being played by the sick fate, words began to appear beneath their feet in a messy handwriting and crimson substance:

_if you want to save them, come down below._

_i'll show you a secret place~_

Even if they were playing by their enemy's hand, Caius and Lightning would accept the invitation.

* * *

A/N: Hey, it's me again. :) I wrote another fan fiction, this time it's AU. As you can see, I made Yuel Caius' daughter and Vanille Fang's daughter. Serah was supposed to be Lightning's daughter but, since I don't want to make **all** of the characters parents, I decided against it. Oh, and this is a slight cross-over with the game, _Ib_.

Please review. ConCrits are welcome. :)


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